Welfare Reform on the Web (June 2004): Pensions - Overseas

EUROPEAN PENSION PROVISION: TAKING ACCOUNT OF GENDER

J. Ginn

Social Policy and Society, vol.3, 2004, p.123-134

Article takes issue with the view that pension privatisation need not be to
the detriment of social cohesion and the needs of the vulnerable. It shows how
women, in particular, are disadvantaged by private pensions. Comparing state and
private pensions from a gender perspective reveals that the former are better
able to reduce the adverse effects of unpaid caring on women's pension income.

NATIONAL PENSION SYSTEMS AND MASS OPINION: A CASE STUDY OF CONFIDENCE, SATISFACTION
AND POLITICAL ATTITUDES IN NORWAY.

A.-H. Bay and A.W. Pedersen

International Journal of Social Welfare, vol.13, 2004, p.112-123

Survey data do not indicate that fears of an outright collapse of the Norwegian
national insurance system are widespread. On the other hand, the overall degree
of satisfaction with prospective old-age pensions is fairly low among the working
population. A clear majority reports believing that projected benefits will be
insufficient to cover economic needs in retirement. At the same time, only a minority
of the population favours privatisation of the pension system.

This book follows the reform of pension systems in eight countries. All cases
were slightly different but there was a surprisingly high degree of similarity
in common trends towards partial privatisation. The author focuses on the factors
that influenced the political processes in the counties concerned, including how
far the World Bank and other international institutions can persuade governments
to accept their thinking

WESTERN EUROPEAN PENSION PROVISION: A RESPONSE TO JAY GINN

M. Hyde, J. Dixon and G. Drover

Social Policy and Society, vol.3, 2004, p.135-141

The authors argue that Ginn's analysis fails to appreciate the crucial difference
between voluntary and state-mandated private pension provision in Western Europe.
It therefore does not invalidate the authors' proposition that the state-mandated
provision of private pensions is consistent with the notion of collective responsibility
for needs satisfaction.